Brave Marketing

Well well well, if it isn't the case of well I could have told you that. I mean we all knew the second we sprinted to the corner store and guzzled our first putrid sips of Coke Mother last year that it tasted like dirty rat piss. But I must say, hats off to the marketing team of Coke for being brave enough to know their product was like vomit on toast. Have a look at the great messaging of the current Coke Mother campaign launched in the last few weeks which is the gutsiest marketing move I have seen for quite some time.

I have gained a lot of respect for Coca Cola for choosing this strategy to turn their sales around. They had two major options when they saw the spiralling sales of Mother: (a) Put it to bed, and never speak of it again like the girl you once brought home that you don't want you mates to know about and deny ever happened. (b) Relaunch it with a new taste and a message, "yeh we messed up but we've fixed the problem and think you need to try this again." The energy drink market is so large now I don't think Coke could have afforded to have given it another shot..

I don't think the marketing team could do the 'sorry we messed up' campaign too often but I think as it is such a fresh angle, it's refreshing! So much so that... I think I need a drink..

But well done Coca Cola, the next time I walk into my corner store you will get my round 2, taste test. And you know what? I don't think I'm the only one! Just hope it doesn't taste like dirty rat piss...